This is the official blog about the development of OctoMY™, the robot platform for you!

2014-05-09

EMCO M1 update

I now have no less than 3(!!) EMCO controllers in my workshop. And most importantly, I have all 3 axes working in my original F1P!

After determining that my EMCO F1P CNC machine had some issues with the controller (more specifically a fried step-motor controller board), I was feeling the despair creeping in. I started googling frantically for spare parts and repair options online without finding anything reasonable. The very next day I struck gold. A full F1P system for sale at a resonable price and in "promised ok state". A few days later I suddenly had TWO CNC mahcines in my workshop. But I had bought a dead system, and the guy I bought it from just repeated his original lie when I called him.

Two EMCO M1 controllers side by side

Despair was yet creeping in. Then, by another happy coincidence I found a controller for one of the EMCO lathes (T1) which is based on the same technology as the F1P for sale at a bargain price (Thanks Torgeir G.)! After verifying that it contained the same step-motor board i was pleased to buy it.

R3D413000 Step motor driver board in EMCO M1 controller

And after some fiddling about I finally have a working controller! The idea now is to put the original machine back in order
using parts from the second and perhaps sell it. The rest second will
the be retrofitted with new drives and a modern PC based control. So
far, my searches have turned up the following parts that may be of
interrest:

This has become a bigger detour than expected for my original project, but really I had to protect my initial investment which was substantial. Now that it works it will at least maintain its price if not go a little up.